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Ethics committee clears Pingree's use of private jet

A letter signed by Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) and Jo Bonner
(R-Ala.) has
clarified that Maine Rep. Chellie Pingree's (D) use of a
private jet owned by her fiance is permitted under House rules.

Pingree
came under fire from Republicans after a video
surfaced showing her disembarking from a 2007 Dassault Falcon
2000EX jet owned by her fiance S. Donald Sussman, a hedge fund manager.

She
asked for the opinion of the ethics committee after a Maine blog noted
that she had criticized similar actions by lawmakers during her
four-year tenure as head of centrist reform organization Common Cause.

The
letter released by Lofgren and Bonner notes that family members are
allowed to give gifts — like transportation — to members of Congress,
and that a fiance counts as a family member.

It also said that
House rules impose no limits on the value or frequency of such gifts.

Flight
logs obtained by local media in Maine show that the jet frequently
travels between the state and Washington, D.C. The records did not
include passenger lists.

Pingree leads
Republican challenger Dean Scontras by 24 points, with 17 percent of
district voters undecided, according to a poll from mid-September.